Ventilated tarpaulin



April 12, 1955 R. l.. MILLER 2,705,990

VENTILATED TARPAULIN Filed Sept. 8, 1955 12 15 16 EWRN 1;@I

VENTILATED TARPAULIN Reuben L. Miller, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 8, 1953, Serial No. 378,804

7 Claims. (Cl. 150--52) The present invention relates to tarpaulins forwindowsill type room air conditioners and aims to provide certainimprovements in such tarpaulins.

The use of window-sill type room air conditioners is increasing at atremendous rate and little has been done toward protecting the exposedportion of the con ditioners from the ravages of the elements during theseven or eight months of a year when the conditioners are not requiredfor cooling the room air. During such inactive period, however,conditioners are frequently used to exhaust stale room air to theoutdoors or take in fresh outdoor air to mix with recirculated room air.

Accordingly, the primary object of my invention is to provide atarpaulin or cover for the exposed portion of a window-sill airconditioner which will protect such exposed portion, yet permitcirculation of air through the conditioner.

A further object is to provide tarpaulins of the character described insizes to iit the exposed portion of different makes of conditioners;which will provide a substantially weather stripping engagement with thewindow frame and paneling through which the conditioner extends; whichwhen secured in place cannot become loose or detached under most adverseconditions of weather and which can be quickly applied and removed by anunskilled person.

The foregoing and further objects of my invention not specificallyenumerated I accomplish by providing a tarpaulin of generallyrectangular box-like form to enclose the exposed portion of theconditioner, said tarpaulin being preferably made from weather-proof,mildew-proof and flame-proof canvas so cut and sewed to prevent saggingof the sides, present a neat appearance in use, and formed in at leastone of the sides which overlies a vented wall of the exposed portion ofthe conditioner with louvers which will exclude bugs, foreign matter,rain, hail and snow from entering the conditioner. The various parts,combinations and construction of my improved tarpaulin will be morereadily understood from the detailed description which follows whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l shows a perspective view of a tarpaulin, embodying my invention,in position on the exposed portion of a window-sill type room airconditioner;

Fig. 2 shows a top pln view of an air conditioner with the tarpaulin inplace thereon;

Fig. 3 shows a side elevational view of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 shows a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4 4 ofFig. 3.

In the drawings I have shown a ventilated tarpaulin embodying myinvention applied to a conventional type room air conditioner 11 mountedon a window sill 12 and having a portion 13 extending into the room andan exposed portion 14 extending out of room. Normally, the exposedportion 14 of the conditioner is supported on a window ledge 15 bysuitable means such as adjustable screws 16. The exposed portion 14 ofthe conditioner is conventionally formed with a louvered or grilled sidewall 17, which through a manually controlled damper 18 operable bycontrol knob 19 permits exhaust of stale room air to the outdoors andthe take-in of fresh outdoor air to mix with recirculated room air.

The tarpaulin 10 may be made in sizes to iit over the exposed portion 14of the air conditioner and consists of a body member formed ofweather-proof, mildewproof and llame-proof canvas having a top portionUnited States Patent O 2,705,990 Patented Apr. 12, 1955 ICC 20, sideportions 21, a front portion 22 and a bottom ap portion 23, all of whichare substantially rectangular. Preferably the front portion at its topand bottom edges 24 and 25, respectively, are reenforced to preventbellying, as, for example, by folding the material at said edge portionsback upon itself and stitching the two thicknesses of material together.To hold the tarpaulin securely on the exposed portion 14 of theconditioner, the bottom ap 23 has a strap 26 secured thereto whichcooperates with latching rings or buckles 27 carried by straps 28secured to the sides 21. A second strap 29 is secured to the top and oneside of the body adjacent the inner or open end of the body forencircling the body and securing it to the exposed portion of theconditioner, one end of the strap 29 being provided with latching ringsor buckles 30. In securing the tarpaulin in place, the strap 29 ispositioned behind the screws 16. Preferably, the top 20 and sides 21 ofthe body are made somewhat longer than the exposed portion 14 of theunit 11 so that when the tarpaulin is mounted over said exposed portion,the inner edges of said body may be pressed against the window frame andpaneling to flange outwardly as shown at 31 and held in said relation bythe strap 29 and thus provide a weather stripping engagement with saidwindow frame and paneling.

In order that air may be circulated through the unit 11 when thetarpaulin is in place on the exposed portion 14, the side wall of thetarpaulin which overlies the louvered or grilled side wall 17 is formedwith louvers or openings a (Fig. 4) formed by cutting away parts of theside wall 21 and pleating or folding the material of said side wall asbest shown in Fig. 4 so that the openings a will be sheltered to preventrain, hail, and the like, from passing through said louvered openings.To further insure such sheltered protection for the openings a, they maybe reenforced and covered by Wire mesh screening 31 which may besuitably secured to the back of the side portion 21 by stitching 32, orequivalent means.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that I haveprovided a ventilated tarpaulin which fulfills the various objects ofthe invention as set forth in the opening statement of thespecification, and, although, I have shown and described a preferredembodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that changes in thedetails of construction of the tarpaulin and the louvered openingstherein may be resorted to within the range of mechanical skill withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim is:

1, A tarpaulin for the exposed portion of a Windowsill type room airconditioner unit or the like, comprising a body having an open end andbottom, a top, front and side portions adapted to engage over andsubstantially conform to the exposed portion of such unit, a bottom apextending from the lower edge of the front portion, cooperating means onthe ap and on the side portions for securing said flap in engagementwith the bottom of the exposed portion of said unit when the tarpaulinis disposed over said exposed portion of the unit and means carried bythe body in proximity to the rear edges of the sides and top portionadapted to encompass the exposed portion of the unit for securing thebody onto said unit.

2. A tarpaulin according to claim l, wherein at least one of the sideportions is formed with a louver, the opening of which faces downwardlywhen the tarpaulin is disposed over the exposed portion of the unit.

3. A tarpaulin according to claim l wherein the cooperating means on theflap and on the side portions comprises strap means atxed to one of saidparts and strap locking means on the other of said parts.

4. In combination with the exposed portion of a windowsill type room airconditioner unit or the like having louvers in at least one of itsexposed sides, of a tarpaulin comprising a substantially rectangularfabric body having an open end, adapted to engagev over andsubstantially conform to the exposed portion of such unit, said bodyhaving a top and enclosing side portions, at least one of the sideportions which overlies the louvered side of the unit being formed witha louver in registry with the louver in the unit, the louvered openingin the tarpaulin body facing downwardly.

5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein the louver is formed ina pleat of the material of the tarpaulin.

6. A tarpaulin according to claim 2 wherein the louver is formed in apleat of the material of the tarpaulin and the opening in the louver iscovered by a foraminated material.

7. A tarpaulin for the exposed portion of a windowsill type room airconditioner unit or the like, comprising a substantially rectangularbox-like body formed of fabric having an open end adapted to engage overthe exposed portion of such unit, said body having a top and sideportions of a length somewhat greater than the protruding portion ofsuch unit, the edges at the open end of said body being adapted to angeoutwardly into Weatherstripping engagement with the window frame andpanelng through which the air conditioner unit projects, and meanscarried by the body for securing the body onto said unit in saidrelation.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,330,345 Randolph Feb. 10, 1920 1,409,666 Calise Mar. 14, 19221,669,616 Johnson May 15, 1928 1,951,604 Friedlander Mar. 20, 19342,128,693 Dowd Aug. 30, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,784 Great Britain Feb.10, 1905

